It's 2007, isn't it?

Many thanks for the gracious welcome to this blog!

Instead of adding to my tourist brochure, or talking politics, I have decided to leave those issues for another time- like when I am stuck for things to blog about :)

New Year’s celebrations have come and gone. In Zimbabwe they generally involve loud music, lots of alcohol, a goat or chicken or two, a braai (from braaivleis, barbecue), and then at the stroke of midnight, those ubiquitous fireworks/ firecrackers, or, in more humble places, a dustbin lid, a spoon and a whistle- to generate maximum noise. Your voice and car horn are also very useful here. In the old days, when it was a lot safer, people would walk around with their noise-making implements and wake the neighbours at the stroke of midnight (and for as long as possible after, in all truth), but nowadays one has to think about the possibility of being mugged… So you only do it in safe areas, or where there are lots of people about. People then either go to bed, or stay up and party until the sun comes up.

Zimbabweans- like many Southern Africans- are obsessed with braais. Our rains usually start in mid-October, and last until the end of April or thereabouts- but this year the rains were late, and it was a very wet festive season. That generally does not go well with braais, but I’m sure people still tried. I was at home with my family- a peaceful start to my year.

(picture: a "restaurant" outside Chegutu, a tiny town.)